I posted this once before but lost the response. so... I have a 42 Cm road bike that a friend had built years ago. I'm now using it for my son. it's 6 speed and has friction shifters. He has a tough time reaching the shifter. I saw another bike that had an indexed shifter that mounted at the stem. So that's what I need and of course a matching derailleur. I went to the LBS and found that they were no help. I checked small parts and they only have conventional shifters. Any idea where I can find this thing?
"Robert Burns" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:
I posted this once before but lost the response. so... I have a 42 Cm road bike that a friend had built years ago. I'm now using it for my son. it's 6 speed and has friction shifters. He has a tough time reaching the shifter. I saw another bike that had an indexed shifter that mounted at the stem. So that's what I need and of course a matching derailleur. I went to the LBS and found that they were no help. I checked small parts and they only have conventional shifters. Any idea where I can find this thing?
Thanks Bob
Hi, the easiest way, might be to go with a indexed thumb shifter. I had them installed on my 28 year old road bike. With mine the LBS used a Shimano Altus derailluer. The bracket on the shifter could probably be made to mount on the stem or on the bars, next to the stem, on both sides. Along with the right side 6-speed index shifter, you can get a left side matching friction shifter, to use with the front derailluer. If you do the work yourself, the whole thing should be under $40. Here is the shifter [you could shop around, I just choose the first website that had what I wanted to show you]: store.airbomb.comItemdesc.aspOpen ↗ Here is the derailluer, don't worry that it says 7/8 speed, it will work fine. It also comes in black, see here: store.airbomb.comItemdesc.htmOpen ↗ There are other ways to do this, but this is the most economical, and it works. I have pictures of this gear on my bike, email me, if you would like to see any of them. Life is Good! Jeff
I posted this once before but lost the response. so... I have a 42 Cm road bike that a friend had built years ago. I'm now using it for my son. it's 6 speed and has friction shifters. He has a tough time reaching the shifter. I saw another bike that had an indexed shifter that mounted at the stem. So that's what I need and of course a matching derailleur. I went to the LBS and found that they were no help. I checked small parts and they only have conventional shifters. Any idea where I can find this thing?
Thanks Bob
I am not absolutely sure, but I bet that the bracket for stem mounting has standard bosses for attaching the shift levers. So you can look for the stem mounting bracket- old parts bin in a shop. And indexed downtube shift levers.
There are tons of 6-speed index levers out there.
If you can't locate anything, I have an old downtube shifting mount that could be shimmed out for a stem mount. And a set of Shimano 105 indexed shifters. 6 speed. Any Shimano rear derailleur with an adjustment barrel where the cable enter the derailleur should index with this system, except older Dura-Ace. You are welcome to it- drop me an email (remove .remove) and I can mail it off to you.
reaching the shifter. I saw another bike that had an indexed shifter that mounted at the stem. So that's what I need and of course a matching
This would probably be a custom job. Indexed downtube or bar-end shifters might be able to be attached to the stem via a stem shifter mount and some custom fabrication. -- Rick Onanian
Thanks Guys I'm trying to avoind my 8 yr old moving his hands too much so bar ends, while better than the down tube, are not the best. I looked again at the other kid's bike and it's a suntour setup and the stem slides thru it. I'll keep looking. thanks
I posted this once before but lost the response. so... I have a 42 Cm road bike that a friend had built years ago. I'm now using it for my son. it's 6 speed and has friction shifters. He has a tough time reaching the shifter. I saw another bike that had an indexed shifter that mounted at the stem. So that's what I need and of course a matching derailleur. I went to the LBS and found that they were no help. I checked small parts and they only have conventional shifters. Any idea where I can find this thing?
You might find one on ebay. Few people want stem shifters anymore so they ought to be a bargain. You'll need a matching index comaptible derailleur (Shimano or Suntour), and a freewheel or cassette with index compatible tooth profiles, any Shimano uniglide or hyperglide would do.
Other options are to find a pair of downtube clamp-on index shifters and make a shim to go from 7/8" to 1-1/8" clamp diameters, or to mount a pair of thumb shifters on the bar near the stem, or the stem itself - clamp diameter is 7/8" so they should fit right on the stem quill.
I posted this once before but lost the response. so... I have a 42 Cm road bike that a friend had built years ago. I'm now using it for my son. it's 6 speed and has friction shifters. He has a tough time reaching the shifter. I saw another bike that had an indexed shifter that mounted at the stem. So that's what I need and of course a matching derailleur. I went to the LBS and found that they were no help. I checked small parts and they only have conventional shifters. Any idea where I can find this thing?
Thanks Bob
I haven't seen them on new bikes for years. I believe they are considered unsafe these days as they can catch your dangly bits if you go over the handlebars. 6 speed should go to 7 speed though, and then you could get some cheap STI levers. All depends what you want to spend.
In the past I'd have said stick with the DT levers as he will need to get used to them, but this is no longer true as no-one - well, maybe only me - uses DT shifters any more!
Zog The Undeniable <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:
Robert Burns said:
I posted this once before but lost the response. so... I have a 42 Cm road bike that a friend had built years ago. I'm now using it for my son. it's 6 speed and has friction shifters. He has a tough time reaching the shifter. I saw another bike that had an indexed shifter that mounted at the stem. So that's what I need and of course a matching derailleur. I went to the LBS and found that they were no help. I checked small parts and they only have conventional shifters. Any idea where I can find this thing?
Thanks Bob
I haven't seen them on new bikes for years. I believe they are considered unsafe these days as they can catch your dangly bits if you go over the handlebars. 6 speed should go to 7 speed though, and then you could get some cheap STI levers. All depends what you want to spend.
In the past I'd have said stick with the DT levers as he will need to get used to them, but this is no longer true as no-one - well, maybe only me - uses DT shifters any more!
..... no-one - well, maybe only me - uses DT shifters any more!
Two of my three bikes have DT shifters and will continue to do so, they predate STi/Ergo anyway. Furthermore when I convert my #1 road iron to a triple clanger I may, if I can't get front STi working satisfactorily, switch it to friction, DT shifting for the front mech. You are not alone, in fact I was pleased to meet a P-B-P er last summer who had friction shifters throughout - respect.
"Robert Burns" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:
I posted this once before but lost the response. so... I have a 42 Cm road bike that a friend had built years ago. I'm now using it for my son. it's 6 speed and has friction shifters. He has a tough time reaching the shifter. I saw another bike that had an indexed shifter that mounted at the stem. So that's what I need and of course a matching derailleur. I went to the LBS and found that they were no help. I checked small parts and they only have conventional shifters. Any idea where I can find this thing?
Thanks Bob
Sound like you need some bar end shifters. You might try ebay for a set of Suntour friction or Shimano index that can also be used in friction mode. They'll work with any derailleur.
"Robert Burns" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:
Thanks Guys I'm trying to avoind my 8 yr old moving his hands too much so bar ends, while better than the down tube, are not the best. I looked again at the other kid's bike and it's a suntour setup and the stem slides thru it. I'll keep looking. thanks
Bob
Hi, if not taking his hands off the bars is the goal, then the bar mounted thumb shifters would be ideal. Is there any reason why they wouldn't work? Jeff
it's 6 speed and has friction shifters. He has a tough time
Quoted message said:
reaching the shifter. I saw another bike that had an indexed shifter that mounted at the stem.
Another possibility that I've 'seen on the street' is where downtube shifters were mounted near the front of the top tube, using totally standard parts. If you currently have the old type of downtube levers that include the part that wraps around the downtube, then you could just move that part to the top tube, or buy that part if needed. You'd also need the part on the downtube where the cable housing stops. You'll need that also with stem shifters or STI. You also need some cable housing and longer cables of course.
This setup avoids the perceived problem with stem shifters 'piercing your privates'. But of course, you should first determine if this is a position that is easy for your son to reach - I assume it is, but check.
Thanks Guys I'm trying to avoind my 8 yr old moving his hands too much so bar ends, while better than the down tube, are not the best. I looked again at the other kid's bike and it's a suntour setup and the stem slides thru it. I'll keep looking.
Thanks Guys I'm trying to avoind my 8 yr old moving his hands too much so bar ends, while better than the down tube, are not the best. I looked again at the other kid's bike and it's a suntour setup and the stem slides thru it. I'll keep looking. thanks
Bob
Have you called bike shops? Or look at garage sale bikes or Goodwill stores. Stem mounted shifters are still around on old bikes. Pull the existing friction shifter and install index shifters on the mounting bosses.
Loose Screws/third hand has a stem mounted shifter setup- Falcon brand.
Unless Falcon was in its own world, you could pull the friction shifters off and mount indexed downtube levers. Then you would need cable stops for the downtube. Something like this if there are no downtube braze-ons, except it would need stops for two cables (I know they exist, having bought one a few months ago)-
"Robert Burns" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Thanks Guys I'm trying to avoind my 8 yr old moving his hands too much so bar ends, while better than the down tube, are not the best. I looked again at the other kid's bike and it's a suntour setup and the stem slides thru it. I'll keep looking.
Having used them all, I'd say bar-end shifters are much easier than stem shifters, it's what I put on my son's bike when I converted from dt shifters.
"MSeries" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Zog The Undeniable said:
..... no-one - well, maybe only me - uses DT shifters any more!
Two of my three bikes have DT shifters and will continue to do so, they predate STi/Ergo anyway. Furthermore when I convert my #1 road iron to a triple clanger I may, if I can't get front STi working satisfactorily, switch it to friction, DT shifting for the front mech. You are not alone, in fact I was pleased to meet a P-B-P er last summer who had friction shifters throughout - respect.
Low tech=high reliability.
I don't have a problem with location of shifters (bar/stem/dt), but indexed is so much easier than friction for shifting the rear, and no less reliable.
